Persis Brown Smith ’45

On June 16th, 2017 Persis B. Smith passed away after a brief illness at Brookdale Place in Colorado Springs. She was 91 years old.

She was born in Colorado Springs on February 24, 1926. She was the daughter of the late Alfred Brown and Lucy Jones Brown. Dr. Brown was the superintendent of the Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind for many years.

Persis was the granddaughter of Asa T. Jones, a Colorado Springs pioneer who came to cure his tuberculosis from Spencer, Massachusetts. He was a leading businessman in Colorado Springs and “gave birth to many charities” (Sun newspaper, July 24, 1972). He built the Cheyenne Building now home to Phantom Canyon Brewing Company on the corner of Pikes Peak and Cascade Avenue.

Persis went to Columbia Elementary School, North Junior High and the Colorado Springs School before graduating from the Williston Northampton School for Girls in Easthampton, Mass. She graduated from Vassar College and received a Masters Degree at the University of Denver in child psychology. She worked at the Rocky Mountain Rehabilitation Center in Colorado Springs for 15 years.

Persis was married four times to wonderful men. First, to the late Wessel Ruhtencrantz Von Ruhtenberg and then to John Max Wolf of the Wolf Ranch in Black Forest. She later married Myron Wood, the well-known photographer. Finally, she was married to the late Dr. Robert Smith for 22 years. He preceded her in death at 99 years in 2012. He was one of the founding doctors of the Colorado Springs Medical Center.

Persis Smith was an accomplished painter, studying for years under the well-known local artist Herman Raymond. She was a member of the Broadmoor Garden Club, Tuesday Club and the Colonial Dames Society. She volunteered for years at Silver Key, was a member of Grace and St. Stephens Episcopal Church and was an active member of and donor to the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center.

She is survived by her daughters, Lucy Lewis of Colorado Springs, Persis Schlosser of Castle Rock, Colorado, five grandchildren, one great-grandchild and eleven step-children.

Ginger Kahn Stuck ’81

Ginger Michelle Kahn was born on March 10, 1963, in Beverly Hills, California, but she spent her formative years in Chappaqua, New York.
She was one of four children born from the union of the late Lloyd Kahn Jr. and Charlene (Center) Kahn Berman.
After graduating from Horace Greeley High School, she studied Psychology and Education at St. Thomas Aquinas College and Dance at Ithaca College.
Ginger married Jack Williams III in 1988. She later married Charles Stuck on March 25, 2000, in Dearborn, Michigan, and together the couple would raise their family of five children.
A member of the B’Nai Israel Temple in Monroe, Ginger enjoyed staying very active in the community. She was quite instrumental in the expansion of Paula’s House on South Custer volunteering many hours. She was also the founder of Teens with Family Addiction (TFA), assisting at-risk youth.
Ginger was always generous and kind and willing to open her home to those in need. She was extremely charismatic and had a heart for service to others, and everyone knew it.
A confidante to many, Ginger still had a profound sense of humor.
Ginger loved to vacation, and when it came to travel she spared no expense on her family making sure they experienced everything possible and had a few souvenirs to leave with.
Two favorite sayings summed her up: “That’s Just Ginger” and “It’s Ginger’s way or the highway.” For several years she co-owned Cold-Steel and Elysium Tattoo in Monroe.
Ginger Michelle Stuck, age 54, of Monroe passed away unexpectedly at her home on Sunday, July 9, 2017. Her passing was preceded by her father, Lloyd Kahn Jr.
To cherish her memory, Ginger leaves her husband: Charles Stuck; her mother: Charlene Kahn Berman; a daughter: Josephine Stuck; a step-daughter: Nicole (Scott) Fowler; two sons: Jack (T’leah) Williams IV, Ryan Stuck; a stepson: Christopher Stuck; two brothers: David (Jodi) Kahn, Adam (Lily) Kahn; two sisters: Amy Kahn and Michele Hart, and four grandchildren: Easton Williams, Emory Fowler, Connor Fowler, and Killian Fowler.